Complex Religion, Conspiracy Theories, Misinformation, and Covid-19 in NSW, Australia

This article explores contemporary empirical evidence of the extent of the uptake of misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 with regards to religion in the New South Wales population in Australia. The data were collected through an online survey conducted in 2022 (N=5,276). Religious respondents tend to follow conspiracy theories, distrusting the recommendations of scientists and for some, resourcing information from religious leaders. While religion is associated with beliefs in conspiracy theories, this article discovers that it is not an independent factor, but is part of a complex relation with other variables. Comparisons with similar research in the US uncovers a potential equivalent of US Christian Nationalism but in the Australian context.